Cupola charger



Feb. I

' R. L. FRIEND CUPOLA camsnn Filed Sept. 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' -LFRIEND' CUPOLA CHARGER Filed Sept. 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' PatentedFeb; 1927.

. UNITED srrss B-OYDON LEE rnrnnn, or connnnsvinnn,

lemm Assren'on ro :r an' 1121K. a

ROOTS comrnny, ori'oonnnnsvitnn, linnie ua, A' 'co nronnr:o n orrnnrnmi;

corona onAnG' n,

Application filed September 15, 1923i seri l N 662,826;

The presentinventionrelates to conveying and hoisting apparatus and isdesigned especially for use in charging iron,"coke andothermater'ials-into 'a foundry cupola. In

the 'opferationof a cupola' it is .desirable to" collect the materialfrom storage spaces and depositit in the cupola as economically and withas little labor as posslble. It is also desirable to drop the materialcentrally in the 'cupola onto/the fuelbed inorder to distributethe-material evenly and to prevent bridginganduneven accumulations ofmaterial i'n the lower part ofthe cupola: In many foundries localconditions make itimp'ra'ctical so to design the Zapparahis that the Vcharger by "which the niater'ial is deposited in the cupola may travelto a distant storage space 'tocollect'mater-ial; and in such situa'-tions "it is desirable that the charger be capable of collectingmaterial from"as'exten-,.

' Figure 3 is a section on the line -3 in Figure 2, and

Figure 4L is an enlarged section on the" line 4 4 in Figure I. 7 l

Iron; coke and other material isto be collected and deposited in thecupola 1 by the charger 2 which travels, recjtilineally on a suspendedtrack 3 which is preferably an I- rail, 'The'chargerQ comprises ahollovvcan tilever arm 4' adapted to have its forward end iprojejcted'into-f-aposition centrally Witlr in the cupola so that material maybe dropped?onto the fuel bed 'and evenly dis tribut'ed over the bead. A'hoistingdrum 5 is mbunted within the armand is operable by a otor hoisting cable7 coiled on the drum 5 extends through the forward end of the armlandfsuppo'rts'a carrier by which material" is I collected and depositedin} the cupola- For 'th'e 'collecti'on' of iron the car a vertical axisI circular track 113, which 11s preferably a' circular Igrail; suppor'tl lz'fromi' the frame-14;. A -'bevel- 'gear]l5-"ji se rier isja magnet 9controlled by a conductor 8 coiled ont'he drum'ejwith the cable'7, Whilecoke and otherifimaterial Will be collected by a bucket supported fromthe 7 cable 7 The charger 2 is supported. 'froni the 'track wheelsjlOandll travelling'on the lower fiange oi; the track and thecljrargerisfinow able 'along'the traclr-bya 1notor -12 i'ge'a-red to''drive certain oii the "Wheels; asthe Wheels 10; e 7 'In Ord'er that thecharger, Which may travel. along the rectiline'a'l track 3, my cel lectmaterial [from as extensive an "area as possible adjacent the cupol'athe track" 3ii's mam-i mountedsolas to be capable of rotation-on cured"to the frame concentrically with the track 13,and securedbin'the-hub-16"offthe gear a support "17, formed" at its "depending lower endWith a head 18. AU*tWo p'art clamp 19, wvhose halves are securedtogether by bolts 20, is carrield on a bearing "21 supported a the-head1 8,2 ja'nd the halves of the clamp: are formed on 1 their inner ffaces, with reee'sses QQ' engaging'the upper' flangesirlie track=3.'-

"-The'track'3 is provided adjacent its/oppo- Wheels travelling onthei'circular track" 13; Each ofthe "-tru'cks comprises two? similarmembers23 secured together provided on their inner'ifa'c v 25 fittingovent'h'e' upperflan'ge's of" the track 3. In" each halt Y "ofthe trucktherefis secured a shaft 26 on which isjournaled a'wheel 27 travellingon a lower flange *o f the circular track f mounted on the track andconnected by suitable gear's' with the fixed circular "bevel by bolts24; and

vith'recesses i 1 The track 3 may be rotated by a motor28 gear 15-. Theinotor-28 and also the motors 6 -and1.12,- are "preferably" controlledby een: a

trollers mounted in cage carried 5 the charger '2 as diagrammaticallyillustrated in Figure 1. "The motors may; if"d'es'ired;' becontrolled'by anoperatorwnfthe floor by means of depending cables orythey 'may b'econ-trolled from a-sin'gle fixed station, such: as a pulpit, from which"the operator may I. .7 it i l. .Hl -v observe the cupola and the ent-ireoperating In operation the track-3 will 'be rotated" and the chargerwill be moved along the track until the carrier at the forward end ofthe charger is located over-the material bed- :Although the entireapparatus is relatively compact'the invention makes it possible tocollect material from an extensive storage area by rotation of the track3 through an angle of three hundred and sixty degrees or more and bytravel of the charger diametrically of the circle. The rotation of the vtrack, the travel of. the charger and the operation ofthe hoisting drum,as well as the control of the magnet when one is used as the carrier,may beconveniently and centrally controlled preferably by an operator inthe cage carried by the charger. The detailed constructionby which thetrack 3 is rotatably supported by the frame andby the circular trackprovides notonly for simplicity of manufacture of theparts involved, butfor very easy assembly of the apparatusand for very sturdy support ofthe charger. Having thus described my invention, whatI claim is: 7

1.111 an over-head railway for cranes and the like, an elevated circulartrack, a rectilineal track supported centrally by a pivot bearing andadjacent its ends by said circular track, and means for driving saidrectilineal track along said circular track.

2. In an overhead railway for cranes and the like, a circular I-sectiontrack, and a rectilineal I-section track extending across said circulartrack and dependingly supported therefrom at their points of crossingfor movement therealong, a pivotal support for said rectilinealtrackmidway of its length between said circumferential points and meansadjacent said pivotal support for moving said rectilineal track to anycircumferential position with respectto said pivotal support.

1 3. In an over-head track system, the'coma bination of an elevatedcircular I-section track, an 'I-section track extending diametrically ofthe circular track, wheels secured to the second track adjacent its endsand travelling on the circular track on the lower flanges of saidl-sectlon, and an anti-friction bearing concentric with the circulartrack supporting; the second track and whereby said second. track may berotated to any diameter of saidcircular track.

4. In an over-head'railway for cranes and the like, a circularI-sectiontrack, anda rectilineal L'section' track extending. acrossferential points for movement therealong, and a PIVOiZLlSLlPPOlt forsaid rectillneal track midway of its length between said circumferentialpoints.

6.; nan overhead track system, the comination of an elevated circulartrack, a trackextending diametrically ofthe circular track, wheelssecured to the second track' adjacent its ends andtravelling onthecircular track, and an anti-friction bearing concentric with thecircular track supporting the secondtrack.

'4'. In an over-head track system, 'thecombination of a frame, anelevated circular track secured thereto, a track extending diametricallyof the circular track, wheels secured to the second track adjacent itsends and travelling onthecircular-track, a support and a circular gearsecured to the frame concentrically 1 with the circular track, an.

anti friction bearing supporting the; second 1 track from the support,and a motorcarried by the second track gearedto the-circular gear.

bination of a frame, an elevated circular I.- rail secured thereto, anI-rall extendlng dia- 8. In anover-head track system, the commetricallyof the circular rail, trucks re- 'spectively secured to the second railadjacentv its ends, each truck comprising two members clamped togetherand formed on their inner faces with recesses engaging the upper flangesof the second rail, wheels journaled in the trucks and travelling on thecircular rail, a support depending from the frame concentrically withthe circulartrack andhavmg an anti-friction bearing, and a clamp restingon thebearing and formed,

with recesses engaging the upper flanges of the second rail.

9. In an elevated track system, the combination of a frame, an elevatedcircular I-rail secured thereto, an I-rail extending diametricallyoft-he circular rail, trucks respectively secured to the Second railadjacent its ends, each truck comprising two members clamped togetherand formed on their inner faces with recesses engaging the upper flangesof the second rail, wheels jour naled in the trucks and travelling onthe circular rail, a support depending from the frame concentricallywith the circular track and having an anti-friction bearing, a clampresting on the bearing and formed with recesses engaging the upperflanges of the second rail, a circular gearsecured to the frameconcentrically with the circular rail, and a motor carried by the secondrail travelling onthe circularrail; a fixed supgeared to the circulargear. port concentric with the circular track and 10. The combination ofa circular I-rail, having an anti-friction bearing, and a an I-railextending diametrically of the clamp resting on the bearing and formed 5circular rail, trucks respectively secured to With recesses engaging theupper flanges of 15 the second rail adjacent its ends, each truck thesecond rail. V i

comprising two members clamped together i In witness'whereof, I hereuntosubscribe and formed on their inner faces with remy name this 12th dayof September, 1923.

cesses engaging the upper flanges of the sec- 1 1 0nd rail; Wheelsjournaled in the trucks and ROYDON LEE FRIEND.

